Impossible Is Nothing
by lankree
Summary: What begins as a debt ends with Sasuke falling in love with Neji.
1. Certain Truths

Impossible Is Nothing

What began as a debt becomes Sasuke falling in love with Neji.

Part One: Certain Truths

Contrary to popular belief, Hyuuga Neji has strong memory of his mother. She didn't die until he was six years old, only a few days before he entered the Academy. He mourned her, but did not grieve her. He did not feel that her death was an injustice to her or to him. She died with honor on a mission protecting the ideals of Konoha.

Hyuuga Sango had her named carved proudly into the stone. On that day, Neji had gone to the stone with a single Yuri and cried pitiful tears of an orphan. Hyuuga Sango's favorite flowers were lilies and every year he brought them to that marker in her memory. He always bought the Yuri flowers from the Yamanaka Ikebana and came to know Yamanaka Tsuta very well. As a result of one of his frequents, Hyuuga Neji learned of a talented shinobi named Uchiha Sasuke, whom Tsuta-san's daughter, whose name he hadn't thought to remember, was raving about to some other girl who was equally enthralled by Uchiha Sasuke's talents and appearance.

Hyuuga Neji himself had a following of kunoichi. He knew from personal experience that hordes of shinobi potentials didn't flock to a single fighter without justification. That was what led him to investigate Uchiha Sasuke and determine the level of his talent. What he found in his searches was something exceptional.

He found something worthy of his own talents.

He found a challenge.

Not too many people knew what it felt like to lose their most precious person. Many were lucky in that regard. It's a pain that can build hatred if that precious person was thieved away. Neji knew kindness from one man his entire life. One man who wanted better for him, one man who knew that his worth was beyond his talent… that Neji deserved kind eyes and a gentle voice when spoken to… His chichiue… his strong and kind father who was taken from him…

Few people understood betrayal like Hyuuga Neji. He only knew of one person who experienced that pain, to have someone of their blood thieved from them by another person of their blood. Uchiha… Sasuke.

They hadn't met successfully. Uchiha Sasuke had never even seen Neji fight. Neji had wanted to defeat the annoying blonde boy and face either Uchiha Sasuke to find satisfaction or to fight Sabaku no Gaara and avenge Lee. He was awarded neither opportunity, but from that fight with Uzumaki Naruto he had gained something valuable in truth and a new direction.

But that direction still involved a fight…

It still involved Uchiha Sasuke, who, too, was unlike Uzumaki Naruto, who, too, was born exceptional.

The partial destruction of Konoha and the death of the Hokage had put all ambition on Neji's part on hold. It did not dull determination and it did not hinder ambition. After visiting Lee in the hospital, he and Tenten would observe Uchiha Sasuke in his own hospital room, usually beyond the observation of the daughter of Tsusta-san and the annoying pink haired girl.

Tenten crossed her arms under her chest and leaned against the door frame outside of Uchiha Sasuke's hospital room. "I heard it was that Uchiha Itachi that did it to Sasuke-kun." Tenten supplied.

"The same Uchiha Itachi who erased the Great Uchiha Clan… Under what circumstances did he return to Konoha?"

"I don't know all the specifics, but I doubt it's as simple as returning to finish the job." Tenten responded. "He's a top ranked missing nin in Konoha's bingo book and as such his records are sealed, I can't find anything other than the obvious on him. Age: eighteen; type: Genius, fire-skill, Sharingan, ANBU ranked, from rumors his talent for jutsu rivals the legendary Sannin, some say even Hokage level… what he's been doing and why, that remains a mystery to me."

"But not to Uchiha Sasuke… I am led to believe that Sasuke does know… if Uchiha Itachi returned, Sasuke would neither run nor hide."

"He's the kind to act as an avenger and at his level…" Tenten trailed off.

"He was defeated. There is no mystery in this."

"You still want to fight Uchiha Sasuke. In this state, he will never be a challenge again. His condition is…"

"Like Lee's."

"There's nothing we can do and you'll become restless again. What do we do now? We can gather more information about the Uchiha. Their kunoichi would know something."

"I'm under the impression that the kunoichi is useless." Neji responded flatly.

"You're hard on all kunoichi. Setting your mother as the standard is unreasonable. We all pale in comparison to her…" Tenten pushed her hands onto her hips and looked through the observation window to see the pink haired shinobi as she adjusted flowers by the window, "She's going through a difficult situation."

"And you're not?" Neji asked.

Tenten smirked. "I'm made of tougher stuff. I have to be to deal with number one cool-headed guy Hyuuga Neji and number one hot-headed guy Rock Lee."

"You're best suited for it." Neji responded.

"Hai, hai. You want to go train? I'm working on a scroll binding jutsu. I could use a moving target."

"Later, I'm going to visit Lee."

"Right, don't forget we still have to meet with sensei for seal sequence practice when he gets back from his mission this afternoon."

Neji nodded. Tenten waved and left. Neji observed Uchiha Sasuke for a few minutes then went as he said he would to visit Lee again. There had been a significant change in their relationship, between Neji and Lee, since the Chuunin exam. They had never liked each other and it had been both their faults: Neji didn't respect Lee and Lee only saw Neji as a target and never a person. Lee's personality hadn't changed, but Neji had and for Tenten's sanity, it had been enough.

In a complicated interplay, Neji and Lee had suffered from the same complex emotion: jealousy. Lee was jealous of Neji's talent and Neji was jealous of Lee's character: the kind that got attention and praise and affection. Genius entitled him to none of those things, but changing his talents would have gotten Neji nowhere, even if he thought himself capable of change. No one ever paid attention to the crisis of Genius, except his father, except Tenten, and except himself.

That was why he had sought Uchiha Sasuke out so eagerly. Tenten had been amused at his enthusiasm and aligned herself to help, the way he knew she would. Tenten was the only person he could count on: he hoped that would change with Uchiha Sasuke.

With his hands in his pockets Neji made his trek to Lee's room and found the bowl-headed taijutsu master doing one-handed push-ups on the floor. Neji walked up his team mate and firmly put his foot on Lee's uninjured shoulder and pushed him firmly to the ground.

"Nah!" Lee groaned. Lee looked up around the blue shoe to meet Neji's gaze. "Neji, please remove your foot."

Neji crossed his arms over his chest. "Lee, you know you cannot do this yet. I will not have the nurse yell at me again for not preventing you from further exerting yourself."

"I apologize for the nurses scolding you by calling you Neji-chan." Lee responded.

Neji resisted the urge to stomp on the injured Lee… but he made a mental note to stomp him later.

"Neji, I must train. Please allow me to continue. You understand the importance of my training hard."

"Yes, for your nindo. However," Neji removed his foot and squatted down beside Lee, pressing his palm firmly to replace the weight of his foot. "You should understand that it isn't just about working hard, it's about working right. Have you considered training your weak mind over your weak body?"

_Weak?_ Lee asked himself.

"Meditation is the training I'm most proficient at. It isn't my physical muscles that make me superior to you still and those who fight like you."

"You lost to Naruto-kun." Lee responded when Neji released his weight from Lee's body.

Neji nodded simply. "Yes, I did. I wonder if that makes you stronger than me, Lee? Will you continue to rely on another as a marker of your own power?"

"Nani?"

"For a year, you have used me as a target to overcome in an effort to satisfy your nindo. Have you become stronger the way you wished to? Are you a great ninja because a Genius type was defeated? You've lost sight of your ideal. When you put the face of Genius as your enemy instead of yourself, you stopped following your goal."

"I…"

"I know that you fought Uchiha Sasuke before the Chuunin exam. You made him a target without knowing anything about him other than he was a Genius type. Does that satisfy your nindo? Can you be strong without comparing yourself to someone else? Can you get strong as you are now?"

"I…"

"You can: but _will_ you will be the triumph or fault of your own. Tenten and I will continue to train and improve to satisfy our goals. When you're ready to reach our level, we will assist you. That is our teamwork."

"Neji…"

"Tenten and I are going to train our seal sequences and work on Tenten's newest tobidougu kuchiyose no jutsu (projectile weapon summon technique). We'll come back later with sensei and we can develop a meditation training for you."

"Ha, hai." Lee responded.

Neji never said goodbye when he left people behind, even with Lee who he intended to see catch up. Neji stuck his hands into his shorts and turned his back to Rock Lee who sat in the lotus position with his head tilted down to miss Neji's exit.

Neji never rushed, he never did anything he didn't intend to and he never obsessed in his failures. The latter was the result of believing he never failed. When he lost, he won, and when he triumphed, he shined. But something was missing.

Neji saw when he passed Uchiha Sasuke's hospital room that the pink haired girl had left for the afternoon. The raven colored Sasuke lay completely motionless against the stiff white hospital sheets. He entered the room cautiously as if half-expecting Uchiha Sasuke to spring out of bed and attack him. He walked to the edge of his bed, turning his back to the yellowing flower in the sunlight. His body blocked the light and cast Sasuke's stable body in shadow.

Neji thought for a few moments before making a series of seals and activating his Byakugan to observe Sasuke's system. There was irregular activity in his chakra network in his brain, like he was still being affected by a genjutsu.

_But for that to be the case, the level of jutsu would have to be… What monstrous strength Uchiha Itachi possesses…_

**_Saru (monkey), Ousu-buta (boar), Inu (dog), Saru (monkey), Usagi (rabbit), Hebi (serpent) _**

Neji completed the seal sequence and generated a pale green chakra around his right hand. The mystic palm chakra glittered against Neji's moon pale skin and against Sasuke's colorless skin when Neji laid his palm against Sasuke's forehead. Neji's powerful eyes watched his chakra interact with the disrupted chakra of Sasuke's system. He watched as his chakra moved Sasuke's system temporarily before the superior talent of Itachi's genjutsu overcame his mystic palm. Neji released his jutsu finding he had made no difference in Sasuke's condition.

_I suppose it would take a skill level at Haha's (mother's) level or greater to dispel this. I wonder if there is such a talent in Konoha… or if I will have to become that talent…_

Hyuuga Neji released his bloodline limit and left Uchiha Sasuke behind his back as he remembered his promise to Tenten and went to meet the kunoichi and their sensei.

Neji's hands were faster than Tenten's. Tenten's hands were efficient, Neji's fingers danced. Juuken was an art; it was fluid in all of his motions. He excelled because he studied art and movement. During their training and exposure to the chakra paper, Tenten had been the wind, Rock Lee had been the earth and Neji was water. His motion paralleled the flow of water, which mimicked the flow of chakra, which Neji followed within an inch of his life.

Every Hyuuga was water, even the bumbling Hinata. When Hyuuga found the path of water, like Neji had at the age of four, their Juukenhou became Konoha's greatest grace, like Hiashi-sama's and Neji's was, the way Neji's Chichiue and Haha's had been. Neji still remembered: though it had been years and years ago, buried under more painful times, since he had last seen how his mother and father moved together as they made Juuken the art more beautiful than the dance of the leaves that hid their village. He had been four years old the last time, before his father was thieved from him in a cloud of unrevealed truths and before his mother lost her life in the service of Konoha shinobidom on an S-rank mission. He had been ready to dance with them and now with them gone, he had to dance for all of them.

The dance step was difficult, but he had Tenten, he had Lee, Uzumaki Naruto, and he would have Uchiha Sasuke to add movements to his dance steps.

End of Certain Truths


	2. Two Invitations for One Uchiha Sasuke

Impossible is Nothing

Part Two: Two Invitations to One Uchiha Sasuke

The appearance of the Legendary Tsunade meant three things: Firstly that Tenten was ecstatic for a reason and not suffering from temporary insanity; second that Rock Lee's body would be recovered from its destructions; third that Uchiha Sasuke would be a complicated player amongst the living in the near future. Neji had discovered all these things when Tenten announced that The Tsunade was again in Konoha, but another discovery prevented him from making immediate note on the progress of the Uchiha and Lee.

_It was eight birds?_

Neji knew how to count and he knew what birds were and he lacked error in his judgment. _How can this be?_ He wondered. He hadn't been distracted by Tenten, he hadn't been distracted by anything… but he had missed a single bird.

"Byakugan!"

He stared as far as he could with his eyes that could see through and at a great distance. Behind his back in three targeted directions he could see…

_But I missed… what is going on?_

Neji spent the two days contemplating this discovery before Tenten dragged him to the Godaime Hokage inauguration. By then he had already developed a reliable compensation, but it did not appease his anxiety. It was not such a handicap that he could discuss with others. It was another struggle he'd have to suppress on his own.

While standing beside Tenten and his clan mates, Hyuuga Neji could clearly see past the crowds of Konoha's shinobi and civilians to the eastern edge of the gathering where Uchiha Sasuke and that Hatake Kakashi were standing and observing as well. But something was different in the gaze of Uchiha Sasuke than Hatake Kakashi, and for that matter, the gaze of Uchiha Sasuke was different than all of those who were spectating. Uchiha Sasuke wasn't looking at the Godaime. He was looking at Hyuuga Neji.

Konoha had an incredibly array of Kekkei Genkai. There were vast records of great geniuses in the art of ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. There were legends of those with skills and attributes that could make the strongest in other Gakure quake with fear. Of Konoha's shinobi strength, there were two without parallel: the strength of Hyuuga and the strength of Uchiha. These clans produced the widest breadth of genius and held Konoha's trump cards: Sharingan and Byakugan. Those that could control the true strength of these Kekkei Genkai were considered the truly strong.

Of Uchiha there were only two as far as Hyuuga Neji was concerned.

In Hyuuga, as far as Uchiha Sasuke was concerned, there was only one.

Hyuuga Neji knew nothing of the battle between Uchiha Sasuke and that Uzumaki Naruto, nor of the conversation Sasuke had with the Copy Ninja. It was totally coincidence that Neji happened upon Sasuke sitting by himself in the tree at that day, at that time.

Neji had spent the past few days of his life trying to increase the range of his vision. He had studied in the Hyuuga Archives and there had been no record, as expected, of blind spots in the Byakugan. It was difficult to tell if that blind spot had always been there and never exploited…

_Or if it is a developing blind spot that could become larger? This Byakugan could be destroying itself and me… no genius can sustain as mekura (blind)… if such a thing can exist as a mekura Hyuuga… what cruelty from the heavens… This thing… I must overcome…_

The moon was high and foreboding and Hyuuga Neji was particularly superstitious. That was why he stopped beneath that tree after seeing Uchiha Sasuke's distinct profile. Something was going to happen this night and Neji had two options: watch whatever it was unfold or become active. As great an observer as Neji was, he hated spectating.

Sasuke turned fast enough over his left shoulder to catch the rock hurled at him with his right hand. His face twisted in a sneer, exceptionally frustrated that he couldn't see who had tried to attack him. He moved to his feet, his toes bunched as he slid into an offensive stance as Neji landed on the branch before him.

"Hyuuga Neji." Sasuke snarled out between his gritted teeth.

Neji nodded simply. The simplicity of Neji's response and the lack of explanation on top of his already infuriated disposition twisted shadows against Sasuke's face. If Neji could liken him to anything, he'd call him a bakamono.

"Aren't you old for throwing rocks?" He kept his offensive stance, that wire tight in one hand, the rock in the other.

"I didn't throw a rock at you." Neji responded. He wasn't in a defensive stance or an offensive. He stood straight up with his arms crossed over his chest. It pissed Sasuke off to no end.

"Don't lie to me, bastard. I'm in a foul mood."

"That doesn't change the fact that I didn't throw a rock at you."

Sasuke clenched his right hand tightly. The rock in his hand was reduced to individual minerals. He unfurled his fingers and let the particles become lost in the wind. Hyuuga Neji was not impressed. They were only about three feet between them. The pair could see every harsh line in the other's face. They were both beautiful, but the hours of hatred that fueled their training were apparent in the edges and age in the corner of their eyes. Uchiha Sasuke appeared to a million years older than Hyuuga Neji…

But still possessed the impatience of his age.

Sasuke took one step forward and extending his arm to grab Neji's jacket. Neji blocked him cleanly. The other arm pressed into his hip. He looked thoroughly unimpressed. Sasuke could barely contain his rage. Everything about Hyuuga Neji pissed Sasuke off royally and he so hated being pissed. It took up too much time.

"You're telling me that you didn't try to hit me with a rock."

Neji shook his head in the negative. "I didn't say that."

Sasuke leaned forward aggressively. "Then you did throw the rock at me!"

"Iie."

"If you want me to get pissed, I can do this easily!" Sasuke shouted.

Neji shook his head, mocking Sasuke's rage. "Here I was thinking Uchiha Sasuke was a genius. Your talent is overstated."

"Didn't you lose to Naruto in the Chuunin exam?" Sasuke shouted, wishing he had a rock to throw at Neji or any idea of Neji's battle style. He could go for a fight… and a bloody one at that.

Neji remained impossibly cool. He looked Sasuke square in the eye and nodded. His gaze gave him the perfect view to watch Uchiha Sasuke's face twist up in a mixture of self-righteousness, hatred, anger, and something Neji couldn't qualify. It was intriguing if he could call it anything.

"And you're talking about my talent?" Sasuke asked.

Neji tilted his head to the side. "So you are an idiot then?"

And that was enough.

"Sharingan!"

"Byakugan!"

Konoha's most powerful doujutsu stared at each other for the first time in that generation. Sasuke moved first, fast, predictably, with a finger tip first strike, aimed at Neji's throat. The Byakugan perceived it and Neji pivoted on his left foot and evaded. As Sasuke's momentum pulled him forward, Neji raised his right knee to strike Sasuke in the chest. The Sharingan saw that intent and Sasuke quickly pivoted; he thrust his right palm down to stop the blow. He used Neji's knee as a pivot and spun his body to ram his shin into Neji's head. Neji ducked and pivoted as Sasuke's fist shot out at his chest. Neji grabbed Sasuke's wrist turning the other genius upside down. Sasuke's red eyes widened as Neji smirked and pulled his right palm back.

Sasuke's eyes widened as blood stormed from his mouth as Neji's palm struck his chest. Neji let go of Sasuke's arm and let momentum hurl Sasuke into the trunk of the tree. Sasuke pulled himself to his feet and realized that Neji wasn't going to pursue Sasuke. If they were going to fight, Sasuke would have to be the aggressor.

With this, Sasuke had no problem.

Sasuke roared as he dashed in with his finely tuned martial arts. He was fast, faster than Neji, but Neji knew how to keep up and beat Lee who was faster than Sasuke. So they moved and parried. Sasuke became satisfied when Neji showed signs of fatigue before he did. Neji had to admit, this Uchiha Sasuke was damn good.

Sasuke retaliated quickly after Neji slammed his open palm into his cheek, pulling his body into a tight roll to explode out and kick Neji in the stomach. He had expected the Hyuuga to fall over or at least need to reset his body. His Sharingan saw it, but his body's momentum into his raising uppercut prevented him from responding. As Sasuke raised his arm, Neji grabbed the wire wrapped around Sasuke's left hand and pulled Sasuke back to the branch. Sasuke turned his body swiftly and kicked at Neji again, forcing Neji to let go of his wrist and grab his ankle. He intended to strike back but found that Neji predicted that attack and ducked low. As Sasuke's hands touched the ground as Neji's palm landed on his stomach.

"I could release one third of my chakra into your inner coil system right now and make it so that whatever your great ambition is, will never come true. Next time you come at me, you'd better do it seriously or I'll kill you."

"What a coincidence."

Neji and Sasuke turned their attention to the east and saw four menacing figures leering down at them. The pale haired one with green stained lips smirked confidently before he continued his sentence.

"That's what we were planning to do."

The four leapt down and surrounded the doujutsu great clan heirs. Neji scanned between the four bodies and found nothing impressive about their chakra levels.

"Friends of yours?" Neji asked, looking down at Sasuke.

"Iie." The Uchiha responded.

Neji choose then to let go of Sasuke's ankle so the Uchiha could roll onto his feet and slide back into an offensive position, nearly back to back with Neji. Neji dropped into his Hakke stance.

"For the record," Neji said as the four assailants stalked closer, "I didn't throw the rock at you. I kicked it."

"Bastard. Why?"

"You'll forgive me if I answer that at another time?"

The Sound Four moved and became aware that handling Uchiha Sasuke wasn't too difficult, but handling Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Neji was annoying.

"Kidoumaru." Sakon muttered. "Handle the weird eyed freak."

"Hehe, which one?"

Tayuya rolled her eyes. "The one that Orochimaru-sama doesn't want, you inferior dickhead octopus!"

"Tayuya, that isn't good language for a lady." Jirobou commented steadily.

"Shut the hell up you gluttonous dirty fatass!"

"Enough, Kidoumaru, handle it."

Kidoumaru found that Hyuuga Neji was annoyingly good at evasion, but he was only so good. Those powerful eyes widened at the same time a web grabbed his body and hurled him into the tree trunk past Uchiha Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke wasn't contemplating rescuing the Hyuuga, but any opportunity of such was ruined when the massive one, Jiroubu, slammed his shoulder into Sasuke's back. Over his head the spider freak was chewing deeply, preparing something else, something that wasn't going to trap, something that was going to kill.

"Kidoumaru, don't waste time killing that shithead. Killing a Konoha ninja will make a ruckus." Tayuya warned.

"So?" Kidoumaru slurred over the forming mass in his mouth.

"You stupid fuck; we're not here to play games. If you ruin this mission because you want to play, I'll kill you."

"Tayuya is right," Jiroubu stated. "We can't kill him here. Wrap him up and keep him for later if you want to take him with us."

"Fine." Kidoumaru swallowed whatever technique he was preparing and let his fingers walk. Threads soared over Sasuke's head as the Uchiha turned and watched Hyuuga Neji disappear behind of a blanket of wicked white web.

Kidoumaru bit firmly, cutting the web off, leaving trails of it to disintegrate in the air without his chakra network. It seemed that he couldn't make a face that wasn't cocky. The Sound Four made their assault and Uchiha Sasuke learned something clearly: he wasn't stronger; there were simply too many people who were stronger than he was. The cursed seal was leaking across his face, his skin burned with the fire printed across his body.

"Hah, why would Orochimaru-sama want some weak-ass like him? Kimimaro had much more potential than this one."

Uchiha Sasuke didn't understand.

Why wasn't he strong enough yet?

What is wrong here, with this, with everything?

Tayuya stared with disgust at the defeated Uchiha she was sent to fetch. "What is your purpose in life? Will you forget that and continue to live in this simple village, where you and your loser friends can gather to cry on each other's shoulders? What about Uchiha Itachi?"

Fire returned to Sasuke face. The monster in his memory made the fire in his skin seem like nothing. Uchiha Itachi was the fever he couldn't sweat out; the memory that couldn't simply be forgotten, it had to be destroyed.

Sakon could barely hide the amusement in his voice. "Don't forget your purpose. This village will only become shackles that bind you. It's best to cut those worthless connections. In doing so, you'll be able to obtain a greater power."

The Sound Four moved forward and backwards, their shadows taunting Sasuke's vision. Sasuke wouldn't remember who said those final words. But he would remember those words. "Don't forget your purpose."

Sasuke watched the way those four sowed the wind. They were strong, stronger than him. They who were underlings, they who were messengers… he felt sick to his stomach.

He knew they were right.

He wanted to hit something; he wanted to hate everything so the rage he felt towards his brother was constant so his blood wouldn't go cold. He couldn't use a level head. It would cloud his ambition.

The sense of unity with the leaf was cold. He didn't want that. When the leaves landed on his hand, the burn that was hatred struck and he crushed that leaf. There was no such thing as a true bond of camaraderie. There was only hatred.

Uchiha Sasuke knew the truth.

Sasuke paused after he turned, his eyes locking on the white web. He had forgotten all about Hyuuga Neji… just like he planned to forget all of it. Sasuke planned to turn from that tree, at that time, at that place. The wind moved leaves from the branches and brought Sasuke's attention to the web that held Hyuuga Neji. It was strange, his Sharingan could see chakra moving through it. What he failed to see was Hyuuga Neji trapped behind it. Depth of insight was a trait lost in the evolution of the Sharingan from the Byakugan, so Sasuke thought nothing of it.

Until he saw the hole in the side of the cocoon and felt the murderous intent beneath his feet.

He didn't have to look down to see that Neji was hanging by his feet, clinging to the branch with chakra, the way Sabaku no Gaara had. He didn't have to see him to know that the Hyuuga's arms were crossed over his chest and that his face was expressionless. Their toes lined up, Sasuke's on top of the branch, Neji's beneath it. Neji's stance was like a twisted reflection in water.

Or maybe it was the other way around.

"How much did you hear?" Sasuke asked simply.

"Depending on your decision, I have grounds to kill you." Neji responded, just as simply.

"That sounds like a threat."

Neither of them moved, their toes lined up, the wind pushed Sasuke's hair to the left, Neji's to the right.

"A rather good one. Orochimaru is the one who killed the Sandaime. If your ambition becomes wicked, you will never beat Uchiha Itachi. If you attempt to align yourself with Orochimaru, my team will find you… and this time we'll let Tenten beat you. She loves bruising pretty, weak things."

The snarl on Sasuke's face would terrify anyone who would see it, but Neji showed nothing. Sasuke acted in the rashness of his fury, shooting a great amount of chakra from his feet and breaking the branch beneath him. Sasuke's body dropped. As his feet lined with Neji's stomach, he turned a spin kick. At that moment Neji released his chakra and allowed himself to drop as well, raising his knee to his chest and blocking the blow.

They used each other's bodies as they fell, turning and trading blows as they plummeted towards the earth. Sasuke swung his heel to drop on Neji's right shoulder just before their feet touched the ground. Neji raised his right palm and caught Sasuke's ankle, the force of the blow forced his feet to hit the ground hard. He kept his setting and locked both hands around Sasuke's leg. Sasuke's face twisted into a snarl as Neji turned his body in a fashion worthy of his name and threw Sasuke to strike at the building that stood as the only spectator of their fight. Sasuke twisted his body mid-flight, turning full rotations to align his body perfectly. Neji watched as Sasuke connected with the wall, his feet first, his chakra sticking him to the wall as his position absorbed the blow: the clean cat stretch preventing injury.1

Sasuke stared down coldly at Neji with his Sharingan as Neji stared up fiercely with his Byakugan watching every twist and turn in Sasuke's chakra system. He could see Sasuke was planning something. Neji gathered a huge amount of chakra to his right foot before slamming it into the ground. Rocks flared up into the air, some small, the important one large. A rock the size of Neji's head rose past his shoulder and with perfect motion; Neji turned a spin kick and hurled the rock at one Uchiha Sasuke. The Uchiha sneered before punching the incoming rock, shattering into small pieces that fell back to the earth. Neji watched the Uchiha create a string of seals.

"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique)"

Neji watched the flame blossoms swarm from Sasuke's mouth and circle in a destructive pass to strike him. Sasuke's eyes would widen in shock and fury as Neji set his feet to spin.

"Hakkesho: Kaiten!"

Each of flame blossoms were repelled in a random fashion, disappearing into the air. Neji stopped his spin and locked his Kekkei Genkai with Sasuke's Kekkei Genkai. Sasuke slammed his fist angrily into the wall beneath his feet, splintering the surface with the force. Neji's eyes widened as Sasuke executed another seal sequence.

His confusion didn't settle when the air filled with the call of one thousand birds.

Neji watched as Sasuke rocketed at him, catapulting himself from the wall and leaving two massive imprints to mark his wake.

"Chidori!"

Sasuke wouldn't see how it happened. His jutsu blinded him to movement faster than his own. It was incomplete, especially if someone like Hyuuga Neji could counter it. Sasuke felt the burn of his chakra whizzing over his hand as shreds of bark were torn of the tree. His fingers were buried inches deep into the trunk of the tree, his chakra disrupting the nature of its system. His red eyes were wide and confused and more than those things, they were angry.

Hyuuga Neji stood behind Uchiha Sasuke in profile, able to see through him, to the fiery expression in the younger genius' face, through his ambition and his dark will. He crossed his arms over his chest as Sasuke released his jutsu, Neji's counter and Sasuke's chakra effectively obliterated the tree.

"How?" Sasuke asked.

"Intercepting technique. I developed it from months of sparring with Lee, who is much faster than you. The technique is designed to crush bones, but I see no point in breaking that wrist again… that was the one that Itachi broke, wasn't it?"

Sasuke turned and successfully grabbed the collar of Neji's jacket. He made no move to strike him or throw him aside.

"Don't ever say his name like you know him or you know what I've been through!" Sasuke ground out between his teeth.

"Your team needs to improve its teamwork. There are too many obvious secrets between you." Neji replied.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know, but it certainly sounds poetic doesn't it?" Neji forced Sasuke to remove his grip and Sasuke didn't fight it. Neji adjusted his forehead protector, of which Sasuke was bare. "The truth is, all the most talented persons are born together in a single generation… it appears that ours is a traumatic one. There is something that Uzumaki Naruto doesn't understand. He doesn't comprehend loss. Creating new bonds doesn't erase old bonds that were thieved."

"Nani?"

"To lose one parent seems like misfortune, to lose both seems careless. We're born in a span of an exceptional boom, Sasuke. Our circumstance is frighteningly similar, but between us, you have more reason to be afraid."

"I don't need you telling me what I already know." Sasuke responded, ready to turn and leave at that moment.

Neji shook his head in the negative. "I know something that you aren't aware yet, Sasuke and the things I know can get you killed… or they could help you reach your goal… to kill Uchiha Itachi."

Neji watched Sasuke's face twist up. _I see,_ Neji thought, _the hatred in his heart isn't tamable, not yet. To have such a fire dedicated to revenge…_

"You want to get stronger," Neji said. "And you will. There is no doubt you will get stronger… but you will never get strong enough if you leave Konoha to stand beneath Orochimaru. You will fail… but that won't happen, my team won't let it happen."

"What do you care?" Sasuke shouted. He swore he hated everything about this Hyuuga Neji. The way he talked, the way he moved, the way he looked, every part of Neji made Sasuke see red.

"…"

"Don't you '. . .' at me, Hyuuga. Tell me."

Neji crossed his arms over his chest. "If you're curious, meet my team tomorrow morning one hour after daybreak at the training grounds by the small river. There is something you should see before you attempt your treason and try to leave Konoha."

"There's nothing you can show me---"

"But you'll be there," Neji cut him off. "And it's best if you come on your own free will. I'll be watching you, Sasuke. You will not leave the village tonight. You'll come tomorrow and learn how to gain a great enough strength."

"You're not stronger than---"

"But you'll be there. Almost every person you've ever met has made you a target, Sasuke. Of that group Orochimaru, Uchiha Itachi, and myself are guilty. However, I'm different from them in a simple regard. I want you stronger; I want you to complete your ambition."

"Why?"

"You'll forgive me if I answer that another time?"

Neji turned his back and walked away then. He didn't say goodbye. He never said goodbye. Neji never said goodbye when he left people behind, even with Sasuke who he intended to see catch up. Neji stuck his hands into his shorts and turned his back to Uchiha Sasuke who stood straight up with his head tilted to watch Neji's exit.

Originally their clans lived on two different sides of Konoha. The Hyuuga was the east and the Uchiha was the west. Hyuuga Neji lived in the Bunke compound, which was more north than anything, and Uchiha Sasuke lived by himself in a place that wasn't home. It was simply the place where his worthless things were; where he let his anger breathe by destroy anything that reminded him of Itachi: pens like the one's Itachi wrote with, those specific scrolls Itachi wrote in and no others.

Sasuke knew he was fooling himself to think he could destroy everything that reminded him of his brother and the truly wicked thing he had done, because Sasuke saw Itachi in himself. He saw wicked intentions, strength, anger and the twisted call for power. And like Itachi, Sasuke didn't understand himself. Why he wasn't strong enough, why he wasn't good enough, why he couldn't breathe when he thought of his lack of progress.

As Sasuke raged internally, unable to sleep, unable to move or even breathe, Tenten stood outside his ledge, holding her newest jutsu scrolls ready to intercept movement by the Uchiha. She had volunteered first shift to watch Sasuke, because for Neji intended, she had to understand this wicked Uchiha as well. Neji would relieve her just before one and take the remainder of the night to watch him.

For several hours Haruno Sakura waited at the exit of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Naruto slept.

Sasuke didn't.

Tenten and Neji switched. Tenten stood side by side with Neji after she gave her observations and assessments to her team leader. "Do you really think it will work?"

"We'll be able to distract him long enough at least for the Godaime to arrange ANBU to watch him, if he doesn't see things my way."

"Do you really think he'll stay… for this… for what we can do? We're all defeatable."

"Not to him yet. It will be a long time before he will reach our level. Hopefully so long that whatever that Orochimaru wants him for, the opportunity will have passed."

"I'm still researching that seal and everything about Konoha's most wicked leaves."

"Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi don't belong to Konoha anymore… but Sasuke does. We cannot allow another leaf to break the cover of our village. Never, as long as there is something we can do."

Tenten nodded and left Neji and Sasuke-kun behind.

Neji sat down in the lotus position. His Byakugan was activated, his eyes were closed, his hands wove perfectly in his seal sequence. **_Saru (monkey), Ousu-buta (boar), Inu (dog), Saru (monkey), Usagi (rabbit), Hebi (serpent) _**

Neji observed his chakra system as the green mystical palm chakra wove over his fingertips. It still wasn't anywhere near as strong as his Haha's.

Sasuke seemed to disappear from Neji's Byakugan's vision, only to reappear a second later, four inches to the left of where he had been a few minutes ago. With the wall between them, Neji couldn't use his Chakra Sense compensation. He took no chances and turned his position so the strength of his eyes were always facing Uchiha Sasuke.

_This, too, shall improve…_

End of Two Invitations to One Uchiha Sasuke

1 Think Tifa vs Loz in Advent Children.


End file.
